The First Minister said she had "come prepared" for her speech to conference today - joking at Theresa May's speech last week

Sturgeon has vowed to never give up the case for an independent Scotland, and said she will “always” fight for the country to break away from the UK.

She told the party conference in Glasgow today: “we can, we must, and we will always make the case for independence.”

Despite trying to put the issue on the backburner at this year’s annual gathering with a promise to double spending on education and early childhood funding, she gave a huge pledge to the faithful members to hold another vote by the end of the SNP's term in Government in 2021.

What did Nicola Sturgeon say in her conference?

"But we can, we must, and we will always make the case for independence.

"With the UK government so engulfed in chaos and taking the country down a path of self imposed decline, the need to do so has never been greater."

On early education and childcare:

"By 2020, we will deliver around 30 hours a week for every three and four year old and eligible two year old.
"It will give children the best start in life. And working parents will save around £350 a month on the costs of childcare.

"Right now, we invest around £420 million a year in early years education and childcare.

"I can announce today that by the end of this Parliament, that will rise to £840 million a year."

On the Tories:

"There is a bankruptcy at the heart of this Tory Government.

"It is a moral one. The rape clause.

"The misery being caused to so many by the shambles that is Universal Credit.

"Treatment of disabled people so appalling that the UN brands it a human catastrophe.

"And all the while tax cuts handed to those who earn the most.

"That is Tory austerity. Heartless, shameful, self defeating.

"For the sake of decency, austerity must end - and it must end now."

On nuclear weapons:

"Our party stands proudly as part of the global movement for peace.

"So let us restate this today.

"No ifs, no buts from the SNP.

"We say no to weapons of mass destruction.

"We say no to nuclear weapons on the River Clyde, or anywhere else."

On Brexit:

"15 months on from the Brexit vote, the Tories’ failure to guarantee the rights of EU citizens to stay here shames them.

"We don’t have the power to guarantee these rights ourselves. I wish that we did.

"But we will act where we can.

"But if a fee is imposed, I can confirm today that - as a minimum - the Scottish Government will meet the cost for EU nationals working in our public services.

"It will send a clear message to our fellow EU citizens, in actions not just words, that we welcome you, we value you and we want you to stay.

"We want Scotland to stay at the heart of Europe."

But to pay for her new policies, she hinted that there would be tax hikes ahead.

She said today that “it is right to consider how our limited tax powers might help us protect what we value most”.

“We want to be a fair, independent country,” she stressed.

She also used her speech to hit out at the “heartless, shameful, self defeating” nature of Tory austerity.

And lashing out at Scots Tory boss, Ruth Davidson, she urged her to condemn the “racism, misogyny and sectarianism within their ranks”.

“It’s time Ruth Davidson found some backbone and kicked the racists and bigots out of her party,” she stormed.

Humza Yousaf told conference today that the "time will come" for another vote and that the party will pursuade them that "our future is best decided in our own hands".

The Scottish Transport Minister said: "I promise you we will win independence for our country and by God don't we need it now more than ever."

However, Ms Sturgeon's annual address to the party comes just a few days after a YouGov poll for The Times shows that 50 per cent of Scots would still vote No to independence if another vote was held today.

And other analysis showed that the next Scottish Parliament would likely lean in favour of unionists, as opposed to Scottish Nationalists.

The Tories said the electorate were not likely to give her another 10 years in power.

Scottish Tory deputy leader Jackson Carlaw said: “What Nicola Sturgeon seems to forget is she’s already had more than 10 years in power to do all the things she speaks of here.

“The SNP are on a slippery slope, and it’s unlikely the electorate will grant her another decade.”

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